The Best Thing

First...

The friends we stayed with in California were an older couple who lived in the ward Tom grew up in. Hank was Tom's bishop at one point. His wife, Colette collects nativities and had hundreds of them on shelves in the garage.

Colette gave this nativity to Tom because Tom's mom made it.

She gave me this one because I served my mission in Honduras. This nativity is from Honduras.

Best of all...

While we were in California I checked my facebook and found a message from a girl whose family I taught while on my mission in Honduras!

This is the Meza family: Jose Angel (dad), Francisca Blanco de Meza (mom), Nancy (smallest girl) and Jasmin.

Jose Angel and Francie took the lessons for a long time. We should have dropped them several times, but we just couldn't because they were such a great family. Jose Angel had studied with the JW's for two years. He was very careful to study everything out to be sure of the move he was making. Finally, they committed to be baptized and I was transferred out of the area just before that happened. I kept in touch with them for a couple years after I came home.

Here's the Meza family on the day they were sealed in the Guatemala temple. Both parents and Jasmin have been active in the church ever since. Manaces served a mission in Costa Rica and is now 24 years old.

I keep thinking of the story that was told about a general authority who served a mission in his youth and only baptized one person. Yet, how much good came from that one baptism?

I wasn't the one who first introduced this family to the church, but I played a part in their progress. How much has happened because of my role in that? Already six people in that one family have been influencing those around them. Add all the others I taught and it is mind-boggling.